Rapid Rise in Boomer Addicts Reported

State and federal statistics show the number of people in their 50s and early 60s reporting illicit drug use and seeking help with addictions skyrocketed in the past decade.

“We can’t ignore that older adults are using harder substances, that we are seeing increases in emergency room visits where people present with drug abuse,” said Dr. Gayathri Dowling, acting chief of the science policy branch at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “But when we think about these addictions, we tend to think about younger people. “Nobody thinks to ask older people about substance abuse, and that includes their physicians.”

The NIH has become so concerned about the rapid rise in boomer addicts that it released its first consumer alert this month on prescription and illicit drug abuse signs and dangers on its website, NIHSeniorHealth.gov.